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Tens of Thousands of Christian Youth Cry for Life in Washington and Ottawa

By Jenna Murphy

OTTAWA, August 26, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - This past weekend, TheCRY, a non-denominational Christian movement of mostly young people, held an event called TheCRY: a day of prayer and fasting for an end to the morally destructive climate in Canada and especially for an end to abortion.

TheCRY's organizers feel personally responsible to pray and fast for Canada's conversion particularly among our nation's lawmakers and leaders.

This event marks TheCRY's third event on Parliament Hill. The first one took place in 2002 and the second in 2005. Though this year's attendance was estimated at about 1,000, previous events on the Hill boasted of up to 12,000 "prayer warriors" both in person and by podcast.

"It was powerful, I had goose bumps throughout," says one TheCRY participant, "the zeal was contagious. At one point they had the crowd stomping in harmony telling them that their prayer had the power to stomp out the enemy, to stomp out abortion."

This year's TheCRY event began at Jacques Cartier Park in Quebec in honour of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec's capital and then made its way to Parliament Hill in procession. At Parliament Hill, the crowds were challenged to take a stand; especially in Canada's abortion debate.

TheCRY featured a somber 45-minute demonstration where participants wore tape over their mouths in order to stand in solidarity with the silent victims of abortion.

TheCRY is scheduled to take place in five different Canadian cities over the course of a year including Edmonton (held last March),  Ottawa (this past weekend), North Iqaluit (October 18, 2008), Toronto (October 31st,2008) and St. John's, Newfoundland in February 2009 (see http://www.thecry.ca/Details.html).

 Faytene Kryskow, director of TheCRY Canada describes the event saying, "as a movement we believe we are building on a foundation that has been laid by so many who came before us and many who are now labouring shoulder to shoulder with us, it is exciting to watch the hand of God so clearly moving in Canada today…".

Observers testify to the fruit of prayer efforts such as this one as there has been a marked increase in bold voices for biblical values, the growth of Christian organizations such as the 4MY Canada Association, the National House of Prayer, Canadians for Moral Clarity and other such groups that have bolstered Canada's Christians and provided them with outlets for solidarity in action.

TheCRY in Ottawa follows TheCALL in Washington, D.C. the weekend previous, a similar initiative only this time with "tens of thousands" of paticipants.

Past Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee joined theCALL founder Lou Engle on August 16th  in the 12 hour fast and prayer to "cry out for mercy, mainly for the 50 million babies that have been killed through abortion".

Calling it a day for prayer and not politics, Huckabee told the crowd that each one gathered there must live their own personal lives in an upright manner before they can hope for change on a national level.

"It's easy to point fingers ... and blame people in this place, but the problems that this country has are with us who claim we know the Lord but have not lived it and not been as faithful," said Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister, at the backdrop of the Capitol dome. "So, repentance and revival cannot start in the building behind me until it starts in the temple inside me."

theCALL:
http://www.thecall.com/

4MYCANADA (political/activism branch of theCALL):
http://www.4mycanada.ca/

Bound4Life: (tape over mouths demonstrators)
http://www.bound4life.ca/

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